EAST LANSING - At this time four years ago, Michigan State captain Draymond Green was paying his dues on the scout team trying to expand his role as a true freshman.

Green averaged just 3.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in his first year in the Spartan program. But during the second half of the 2008-2009 season, the former Saginaw High star had already established himself as a valuable contributor. He posted his first career double double during an early February win over Indiana. The versatile power forward averaged 8.5 points and 5.3 rebounds during Michigan State's run in the NCAA tournament.

The time that Green spent on the scout team at Michigan State as a true freshman helped jumpstart his development. The 6-foot-7, 230-pound senior believes that Spartan freshman Brandan Kearney is experiencing similar benefits.

"It was big for him and big for his confidence for him to keep on growing as a player," Green said of Kearney's 5-point, 4-assist performance against the Hawkeyes. "His minutes are starting to grow more and more. That is big for him. He is working hard and (playing on the scout team) is only making him a better player. I played on the scout team and it made me a lot better player offensively. When you are playing like that every single day going against the top players on the team, you have no choice but to get better."